Method of treating gas-vapor mixtures



1,336,360. 7 Patented Apr. 6, 1920 W. E. LUMMUS.

METHOD OF TREATING GAS VAPOR MIXTURES. APPLICATION FILED MAY 5. 1916.

VA FOR $058 TA/YCE INLET WA CONDE/VSA TE CO/VDEA/SA TE 0001.51?

Ivo/vcwVDEAIS/BLE u/vco/vosA sso I 6116 co/vrs/vr VAPOR swam/v05 33 (/F A/vr) RES/DUE L/QU/F/ED CONDEIVS/BLE VAPOR CONTENT (TOTAL CONDElV-SATE) WALTER E. LUMMUS, OF LYNN. MASSACHUSETTS.

METHOD OF TREATING GAS-VAPOR MIXTURES.

Application filed May 5, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, ayman E. l ujnnus, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lynn, in the county of Essex and ltate of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Treating GasVapor MiXtures;and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to an improved method of treating gas-vapor mix-' tures or vapor-substances for the purpose of liquefying vapors and separating vapors from gases. A gas-vapor mixture, that is, a mixture of fixed gases and condensable vapors, or a mixture of condensable vapors,

or a single condensable vapor, or a fog of a condensable vapor, may be termed a an por-substance, because it contains vapor. The object of this invention is to produce a method by which the vapor content of a vapor-substance may be liquefied. liquefaction may be for the purpose of changing the state of the substance, or for the purpose of contributing to the separation of vapors and gases. The invention is susceptible of use in liqnefyin vapors having both close and wide ranges of condensing points. The invention is particularly useful in liquefying vapors present in coke oven gases, such as benzol, toluol and associated high boiling oils, also for liquefying ether, carbon disulfid and other highly volatile liquids from a vaporous state, either alone or mixed with non-condensable gases. Other objects of the invention will be set forth in connection With the description.

To the above ends the invention consists in the method of treating gas-vapor mixtures or vapor-substances for liquefying the vapors, and also for separating vapors from gases, hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

The accompanying drawing is a diagrams matic illustration of the preferred form of apparatus for carrying out the method.

In the drawing, the preliminary condenser l is a condenser of any usual or preferred form wherein the vaporsubstancc operated Specification of Letters Patent.

This I Patented Apr. 6, 1920.

Serial No. 95,668.

from the water inlet to the water outletaround the cooling pipes of the condenser. From the outlet 8 a aponsubstance residue pipe 10 carries away the uncondensed vaporsubstance remainder from the preliminary condenser 1. and the condensate pipe 11 carries away the preliminary condensate. The condensate is passed through a cooler 12. of any usual or preferred construction and which, in the drawing, is diagramuia-tically illustrated as consisting of a coil through which the condensate passes enveloped by a shell having a water inlet at 13 and a water outlet at 14 for the cooling water. The scrubber 20 may be any usual or preferred scrubber involving a counter current densate pipe 11 is connected with the top of the scrubber at 22. The vapor-substance residue passes upward through the scrubber, and the condensate liquid passes down therethrough, thereby subjecting the ascending vapor-substances to the scrubbing action of the condensate. By this action the vaporsubstance is brought into contact with a condensate of the vapor-substance. Any noncondensable or fixed gases practically free from condensate vapor content are discharged through the gas outlet 23 and the total condensate is discharged through the outlet 24 at the bottom of the column. The substance discharged'at the gas outlet 23 is the non-condensable gas content, if any, of the vapor-substance originally treated, and the total condensate outlet at the bottom of the column is the outlet for the liquefied condensable vapor content of the vaporsubstance.

The method, broadly considered, which forms the subject of the present invention, consists in liquefying vapors by subjecting them to the absorbing, dissolving or condensing action of a condensate of the vapor.

The vapor-subnary condensate, to absorb, dissolve or condense the vapors. It Will'thus be seen that while the vapor portion surviving the first or preliminary liquefying operation is ascending through the scrubber, it is brought into contact with the condensate of the vapors with which it was associated prior-to liquefying of the original vapor-substance, which condensate is best adapted to the absorption of the residual vapor, because of its lower volatility or reluctance to regain the vaporous state. I believe it to be broadly new to liquefy vapors or the vapor content of vapor-substances by subjecting them to a preliminary condensing operation which condenses a portion of the vapor, and there after absorbing, dissolving or condensing the vapor residue by bringing it into contact with .the preliminary condensate.

By regulating the flow of water through the preliminary condenser, the proportions of the condensate and the uncondensedrethe condensate is admitted. It will be observed, in the case of mixed vapors of difien ent condensing points, that the higherthe boiling point of the. condensate introduced at the top of thescrubber, the more complete is the absorption of the residual vapor.

In treating a mixture of fixed gases and vapors drawn from coke or cracking ovens, the first operation taking place in the preliu'iinary condenser will operate to condense a large portion of the vapors from the mixture introduced, so that the gas-vapor remainder, containing a small percentage of vapor. is brought in the scrubber into intimate contact with the cold. higher boiling condensate, thus effecting a complete reco very of the vapor in liquid condition.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is l. The method of liquet'ying vapors, consisting in passing a stream of said vapors through a cooling Zone to liquefy a portion of said vapors, withdrawing from said Zone in separate streams said liquefied portion and said uncondensed vapor portion, and then subjecting said uncondensed vapor portion to the absorbing action of said liquefied portion to remove'the residual liquefiable vapors by reuniting said streams.

2. The method of liquefying vapors, consisting in passing a stream of said vapors through a cooling zone to liqueiy a portion of said vapors, withdrawing from said zone in separate streams said liquefied portion and said uncondensed vapor portion. cooling said liquid portion, and then subjecting said uncondensed vapor portion to the absorbing action of said cooled liquid portion to remove the residuat liquefiable vapors therein by reunitin said streams.

wairns E. LUMMUs. 

